Wooden African Masks
Wooden African masks have long played a vital role in African cultural life. Wooden African masks are in fact dramatic demonstrations of the spirits of departed ancestors, and believed to have hidden powers of social control. They are made according to traditional style and worn by trained performers, often with elaborate costumes, to teach and to inspire reverence for cultural history, seek protection by honoring women ancestors, and celebrate a good harvest. The ceremonial events express important social, religious, and moral values of the whole community, and the mask’s artistic and symbolic details show the same.
Wooden African masks are generally hand-crafted by well-trained artisans. In Kenya masks are made of glazed terra, whereas in other African countries, just wood are used. In Ghana, the Eket tribe hand-carves love masks from ‘sese’ wood, which is believed to bring love to one who displays it. Sese wood is commonly found in Ghana, and is very durable.
The use of wood in African masks has a very long history. Traditional African beliefs say that trees are living objects with souls, which provide a life source to masks carved from them. So before carving a mask, the carver consults his spiritual advisors, undergoes a purification ceremony and offers a sacrifice to please the spirit of the trees. When the tree is cut down, the mask carver chews some of the sap to achieve brotherhood with the tree. The carver believes that all these activities help in the betterment of his craftsmanship, and increase harmony with nature and the gods.
With western eyes we tend to view a wooden African mask as a piece of fantastic sculpture. It is a decorative object to be displayed and enjoyed as a work of art - a piece of art that allows us to touch the world of the other, a world which we vaguely understand. Yet for the people who created it, it is a living object that possesses specific powers. If you have ever visited a museum or gallery displaying ethnic or tribal art you may have asked yourself why are these shapes and forms used.
There are many answers to this question. Each wooden African mask has its own story. Each mask is unique. Yet within that uniqueness there are commonalties. Interestingly the common aspects cross continental boundaries. In the aboriginal traditions the need for a new mask could vary greatly. It could be to honour an ancestor, to satisfy a request from the spirit world, for a new initiate, an old mask had served its usefulness, commissioned by a shaman for a specific purpose to mention a few.
Once a need for a wooden African mask is recognised the commission can be made. A mask maker will have other roles in the practice of his carving and wood working construction skills. In some cultures all created objects were given a ritual and sacred element. The carvers will know the traditional forms yet will also have artistic integrity. A new mask will be an expression of his skills, traditional knowledge and the link with the spirit world.
Wooden African masks have great power to absorb our attention. Not all masks are created within a spiritual tradition yet the basic process of disguise takes us, at times into another mental dimension.
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